Mo Kenney looking forward to performing at Jubilee

It won’t be ‘Déjà vu’ when Mo Kenney hits the Jubilee stage next week – this will be her first trip to the New Glasgow festival.

Mo Kenney will play the New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee for the first time next week. Kenney will be on stage Sunday, Aug. 3, ahead of Steven Page. SUBMITTED

There will be a few nerves for the first visit here. She said it doesn’t change the way she prepares for the set, but when she plays a new town or venue those nerves are natural.

“I usually prepare in the same way, but it always makes me a little more nervous going into it, not knowing what to expect,” she said. “Again, I’ve heard nothing but good things (about the Jubilee). I’m nervous because I’ve never been there, but I know it will be fun.”

She will share the stage on the final night of the 2014 Jubilee (Aug. 3) with Steven Page, Tom Fun Orchestra, Carleton Stone and SoHo Ghetto.

“I’m really excited to be opening up for Steven Page, that will be really cool,” said Kenney. “I haven’t heard his solo stuff yet, but I’m not going to listen to the recordings, I’m going to wait to see it live.”

Coming off a tour in the fall, she spent much of the winter in the studio with Joel Plaskett working on her second album, which is expected to be released in late September. This will follow her self-titled release from 2012.

Throughout the summer she has been touring the festival scene and as of late has been incorporating some of this new work into her sets. She said the response has been great so far, but that doesn’t mean she’ll leave out fan favourites like ‘Sucker’ or ‘Déjà vu.’

“I’ve noticed people really respond well to ‘Sucker’ and ‘Déjà vu’ because they’ve gotten a lot of radio play on CBC,” said Kenney. “People have started recognizing them, which is really cool to go from nobody knowing your songs to all of a sudden people giving a hoot when they hear a song they recognize.”

The play on CBC that has helped grow her fan base is also what led to the first time she heard one of her songs on the radio. On the road to Sydney from Dartmouth, where she currently lives, Kenney had the song ‘Sucker’ come over the airwaves.

“I always wondered what it would feel like to hear your own song on the radio,” she said. “When I was a kid I never thought that would be something that was possible for me. I was pretty happy and I had a huge grin on my face the whole time I was driving. It was a highlight.

“You hear your songs so much in the studio that you’re sick of them by the time the record is done, so you just put it aside and play it live. Hearing it on the radio, out of the blue, when you aren’t expecting it, makes you see it in a different way.”

Relatively new to the East Coast and Canadian music scene, she isn’t sure if she’s “made it” yet. She knows she’s at the point that she can make a living off playing music, but adds that it will take a lot of work to keep going.

“I don’t really know when I can be like ‘yes, I have broken through,’” said Kenney. “I don’t know what that would feel like, but right now I can play and I’m making a living at playing music, which is really great, so I’m happy with where I’m at right now and hope I can sustain it and continue to play music.”